Places to Go (Vacation) - Denver Girls' Weekend

Returning to Denver always feels a little bittersweet. Even though I moved away over seven years ago, I've never gotten over Denver, with its mountain backdrop beckoning adventure and new possibilities. Dan likes to remind me that even if we lived there now our lives wouldn't be the same as in our twenties - we wouldn't spend our weekends backpacking long distances with three kids in tow (though kudos to the families who manage it), instead we would purchase the "easy" trail books, searching for destinations under two miles at most. Plus, Dan would still work long hours, those things don't change with city (though we'd all like to believe they do), and he would need to travel more for work.

Perhaps he's right, perhaps my love for Denver is just love of my younger, freer self. But still, so many close friends still live there (though they've all opted for houses in the suburbs rather than apartments in the city) and they all have kids approximately the same ages as my kids. Whenever I visit, I picture our children growing up together at mosquito-less barbeques (unlike Arlington, Denver is almost bug free, yet another reason to live there).

Oh well, enough reflection, we had a great weekend (minus some hiccups on my part) - a crazy pedicab ride to the Black Eyed Peas, dinner at Vesta (my favorite restaurant ever), drinks in bars with chandeliers, pedicures and wine on the patio (with mountain views), bbq hamburgers and trampolines, and (as always) so much catching up to do.

It's nice to have a short getaway every few months. I read a whole book (The Tiger's Wife: A Novel) and slept in every morning (the two hour time difference made that easy). On Monday, I arrived home to tons of drawings/gifts, a super clean house (still not sure how Dan managed to keep it THAT clean with all three kids), homemade strawberry shortcake, a wonderful family, and Mad Men on tivo. Reminding me that life's not about where you are, it's about who you're with. always.



My first pedicab ride and now I'm a true believer. Like a mini-roller coaster through the night.



When I fly, I always find it crazy that above the clouds the day can be perfect, but then you land to a cold, grey, miserable afternoon.